A ship carrying grain that Ukraine says was stolen from Russian-occupied areas of the country will not unload in Israel, according to Ukrainian officials.
Ukraine’s prosecutor general, Ruslan Kravchenko, said in an April 30 post on Telegram that the Panama-flagged Panormitis had “left the territorial waters of the State of Israel and departed for neutral waters. ”
“Such behavior may indicate awareness of the risk of applying criminal proceedings to the vessel and cargo, including arrest,” he said.
“The vessel’s departure for neutral waters does not terminate criminal proceedings and does not exempt the persons involved from liability.”
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, in an April 30 post on X, described it as a “welcome development.”
“This demonstrates that Ukraine’s legal and diplomatic actions have been effective,” he said, noting that Kyiv would continue to track the Panormitis and “warn everyone against any operations with it.”
“This is also a clear signal to all other vessels, captains, operators, insurers, and governments: do not buy stolen Ukrainian grain. Do not become part of this crime.
“We will also continue to ramp up international sanctions measures against Russia’s shadow grain fleet.”
The Israeli Grain Importers Association said the vessel would not be allowed to unload in the Jewish state, forcing Israeli wheat importer Zenziper to turn the ship away, the Jerusalem Post reported on April 30.
“In light of the circumstances, the grain-importing company Zenziper has been forced to turn away the Russian vessel carrying a wheat shipment at the center of the dispute with Ukraine,” reads a statement from the association.
“The Russian supplier of the cargo will have to find an alternative destination to unload it.”
The Israel Foreign Ministry said in a post on X on April 30 that Kyiv’s “request for legal assistance, submitted on Tuesday night, April 28, contained significant factual gaps and did not include any supporting evidence.”
“The Israel Police reached out to the Ukrainian Prosecution with a request to provide additional information and supporting evidence, as required by Israeli law,” the ministry said.
“Meanwhile, we were informed that the vessel that was supposed to enter the port next week decided to depart from Israel’s territorial waters. Israel abides by the rule of law and its authorities will always act in accordance with the law.”
The Epoch Times has contacted the Israeli Grain Importers Association and Zenziper for comment.
The vessel’s change of course followed a letter from U.S. Rep. Joe Wilson (R-S.C.) to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu requesting that Israel turn back the Panormitis.
“As co-chair of the House Republican Israel Caucus, I am grateful to bring attention to war criminal [Russian President Vladimir] Putin’s support for the Iranian regime’s Death to America, Death to Israel agenda,” Wilson wrote in an April 29 post on X, which also featured a copy of the letter.
“Blood-soaked grain, stolen from temporarily occupied areas of Ukraine, must be rejected.”
Zelenskyy described the grain as “stolen goods” in a post on X, saying that the “Israeli authorities cannot be unaware of which ships are arriving at the country’s ports and what cargo they are carrying.”
“Russia is systematically seizing grain on temporarily occupied Ukrainian land and organizing its export through individuals linked to the occupiers,” Zelenskyy said. “Such schemes violate the laws of the State of Israel itself.”
Kyiv considers all grain produced in the four regions Russia claimed since launching its full-scale invasion of the country in 2022, as well as Crimea, annexed by Moscow in 2014, to have been stolen and has previously protested its export to other countries.
Although Russia calls the regions its “new territories,” they are still internationally recognized as Ukrainian, and Moscow has not commented on the legal status of the grain harvested from them.
